Robert Koren (confirmed by club as released)

[Cityslicker09]

8 minutes ago, Torn Asunder said:

JVS may trying out what he did with big Eric the Viking.  He'll probably be out for a few weeks as a wake up call, and then be back in the squad with a final chance to prove himself.

This could be a masterstroke because he if comes back and fires up at the business end of the season, he will greatly strengthen the team.  

If it doesn't work, then there it is no change really, as we've had to perform without him, or with his minor contributions from the start anyway. 

Having him in our squad does stop us signing another visa player, but not a guest player.  

As a marque he has had more than enough time to show his worth. Next please.

[Dylan]

9 minutes ago, Torn Asunder said:

JVS may trying out what he did with big Eric the Viking.  He'll probably be out for a few weeks as a wake up call, and then be back in the squad with a final chance to prove himself.

This could be a masterstroke because he if comes back and fires up at the business end of the season, he will greatly strengthen the team.  

If it doesn't work, then there it is no change really, as we've had to perform without him, or with his minor contributions from the start anyway. 

Having him in our squad does stop us signing another visa player, but not a guest player.  

Koren will just crack the shits and complain to the press again. I highly doubt he would see it as a wake up call

[MHFC-FAN]

The guy is well past it and a whinging hack. Fu@# him off already! NEXT!

[Torn Asunder]

I'm suggesting what JVS may try, rather than what will eventuate, and we all know this should have happened long ago.

Yes, everybody knows Koren has been shite as a marquee and supporters feel angry with him, and cheated by the club for not giving us a marquee who can perform, and rightfully criticize him, and yes, from his past record, it seems highly unlikely that he has the mental fortitude to turn things around ... but stranger things have happened. 

After the first FFA cup debacle and the WSW loss at home, JVS was a dead man walking, but he has fought back and seemingly saved himself (for now). 

If by some miracle, being axed from the squad (and at a point in time when we are playing well and have an actual chance for success) sparks something, anything, in Robi, if he has any pride in himself as a professional footballer who has arguably played and performed at the highest level, and who has been paid bloody well for very little or even negative returns, THEN, maybe, just maybe, he will stand up and play like his life depended on it (like Bruno does for 90 plus minutes every game), and FINALLY add some value to the squad. Will it happen??? chances are very slim, but personally I hope he can turn it around ... UNLESS we can broker a deal with FFA for a new marquee right now, the he should be shown the door without delay.

[Ruckoo]

could also be a move for him to self terminate his contract, if he doesn't get game time surely he will want to go home.

[japiedog]

2 minutes ago, Ruckoo said:

could also be a move for him to self terminate his contract, if he doesn't get game time surely he will want to go home.

and forfeit  close to to half  million, I can't see that  happening

 

[haz]

3 minutes ago, Ruckoo said:

could also be a move for him to self terminate his contract, if he doesn't get game time surely he will want to go home.

I think this might be spot on what's happening. If Koren leaves opening up a Visa spot then Williams also leaves, adding to Bouzanis replacing Tando, I think we will have about 200k left in the cap which is enough to sign a quality Visa player for atleast 6 months from either Asia or lower European leagues. 

[playmaker]

Melling and Garuccio were our weak links.

Trifiro was an awesome sub, and Koren would have put the icing on the night.

JVS is an idiot.

Long live King Koren

[haz]

5 minutes ago, playmaker said:

Melling and Garuccio were our weak links.

Trifiro was an awesome sub, and Koren would have put the icing on the night.

JVS is an idiot.

Long live King Koren

This is why a dislike button is needed 

[rass]

I think Torn is right here.  Also thinking now this was as much tactical as well as form statement from jvs.

Obvious that he wanted a real fast, hi octane start against wsw. Koren totally wrong fit for that,  so dumped his ass... completely. Added benefit of giving him a wake up call too, so it was the right game to do it.

Will see him back in some form,  against shittier midfields we're facing next two weeks.

[jw1739]

56 minutes ago, japiedog said:

and forfeit  close to to half  million, I can't see that  happening

Neither can I. People need to look at this from Koren's point of view (and read up on Winston Bogarde). He's fulfilling his contract to the best of his ability. It's not his fault that we got that ability wrong, or signed him for two seasons, or pay him whatever we pay him.

[heart_fan10]

I wonder if he was only signed for one season if we would have signed him for this season again 

[playmaker]

11 minutes ago, rass said:

I think Torn is right here.  Also thinking now this was as much tactical as well as form statement from jvs.

Obvious that he wanted a real fast, hi octane start against wsw. Koren totally wrong fit for that,  so dumped his ass... completely. Added benefit of giving him a wake up call too, so it was the right game to do it.

Will see him back in some form,  against shittier midfields we're facing next two weeks.

If you value players based on just running up and down the field then you can probably exclude many of the out and out champion football players in the world past and present.

JVS would have to be stupid to think he is going to get this style of play out of Koren.

But then again if he wants a player to gain possession and deliver quality balls to our forwards then Koren can do it better than most in our players.

As with most Koren type players its all about positioning, quality disposal and chemistry.

The fact is our backs are substandard so the mids are forced to track back at every occasion and then the delivery out of defence is atrocious and lead to high turnover, rather than being able to feed to the mids to initiate a quality counter.

The problem is Koren does not this style of play.

[Embee]

The troll is strong in this thread

 

[MHFC-FAN]

1 hour ago, playmaker said:

Melling and Garuccio were our weak links.

Trifiro was an awesome sub, and Koren would have put the icing on the night.

JVS is an idiot.

Long live King Koren

Lay off the meds mate, it's clouding your judgement..

[playmaker]

3 minutes ago, Embee said:

The troll is strong in this thread

 

Well did you see Del Piero tracking back like a maniac.... No you didn't.

He was a target man that players fed.

[Embee]

3 minutes ago, playmaker said:

Well did you see Del Piero tracking back like a maniac.... No you didn't.

He was a target man that players fed.

[Thrillhouse]

well, atlest he'll be gone at the end of the season if not earlier, victory are stuck with bozanic as marquee for another 2 seasons 

[Dylan]

2 minutes ago, Thrillhouse said:

well, atlest he'll be gone at the end of the season if not earlier, victory are stuck with bozanic as marquee for another 2 seasons 

Everyone gives us shit about no Mooy no City. They are just as bad without Valeri

[playmaker]

4 minutes ago, Embee said:

interesting ill informed response,

Perhaps watch a few of his SYDFC games and see for yourself.

[Deeming]

25 minutes ago, Embee said:

The troll is strong in this thread

 

I switch between think he's

1) trolling

2) serious and wrong 

3) Koren's mum

[NewConvert]

The problem with Playmaker's thinking is that this the team that we have. Indeed any marquee (as in world reknowned player) that comes to the A-League will have  sub-par team mates - this is not the top flight European leagues and we are comfortable with that. But since Koren's arrival we have been waiting for him to turn it on and he hasn't. Contrast that with Engelaar who also suffered a serious injury during pre-season but when he finally made it to the pitch - he turned it on. So much so that some even dared to think that the team could make it to the finals. And the quality of Engelaar's  team mates was far inferior to the lot we had last season and this season.

As for so many visa players that come to the A-League, he didn't work out and since he remains on the list we wish that he would. But so far when he has been given the opportunity he has not shone the way he is expected to.

[Embee]

1 hour ago, playmaker said:

interesting ill informed response,

Perhaps watch a few of his SYDFC games and see for yourself.

You don't even know what you're arguing about anymore, hence the facepalm. The argument isn't about Koren not tracking back, it's about him being fucking terrible. Del Piero can not track back all he likes, his impact on Sydney's on field fortunes was far greater than that of Robbie Koren's on ours. You might have a case for Robbie being able to get away with walking around if he actually positively impacted games. But he doesn't.

I've been calling for patience over Koren for ages, but he's been absolutely terrible and no amount of excuses or blame being placed on everyone else but him changes that he should have been so much better.

Edited January 11, 2016 by Embee

[MHFC-FAN]

"Just imagine if we retained Engelar as marquee"  Engelar - Mooy - Partalu 

[knutty]

I so hope they take the risk and try release him and then sign an under the cap visa player. It could be massive for our  finals push If we got another novillo or Fornaroli in to try perform for a contract by the end of the season.                                                        

If the new visa signing turns out to be quality then it'll probably amount to what we would've paid a real marquee all up anyway with the lost wages on Koren + under the cap wages together.

[hyperfuzz]

Had there been any actual semi-official clarification on the marquee rule or is this all still forum member interpretation of the wording of the rules as they are written and educated guesses?

Edited January 11, 2016 by hyperfuzz

[jeffplz]

rare real life pic of reptillian robert absorbing the power of the rare bridge troll Korsinbo, only seen when summoned by the Koren himself :/

[playmaker]

11 minutes ago, NewConvert said:

The problem with Playmaker's thinking is that this the team that we have. Indeed any marquee (as in world reknowned player) that comes to the A-League will have  sub-par team mates - this is not the top flight European leagues and we are comfortable with that. But since Koren's arrival we have been waiting for him to turn it on and he hasn't. Contrast that with Engelaar who also suffered a serious injury during pre-season but when he finally made it to the pitch - he turned it on. So much so that some even dared to think that the team could make it to the finals. And the quality of Engelaar's  team mates was far inferior to the lot we had last season and this season.

As for so many visa players that come to the A-League, he didn't work out and since he remains on the list we wish that he would. But so far when he has been given the opportunity he has not shone the way he is expected to.

Yes this may be the case, however going back to the SYDFC and Del Piero issue, SYDFC couldn't play a  high pressing counter attack game with the aging striker. So in the 1st year especially, the players took a while to adjust and the team really didnt play well but they kept playing him. They worked out they had to use him as a target man and his disposal was so precise that it opened opportunities for other players with time and space that they never had before, Players continually commented on how they had opportunities in situations that they never thought was possible before his arrival. So what happened, well chemistry happened after an adjustment in tactics.

Now I am not saying that Koren is a Del Piero but you can see the similarities in game style, vision, class and ball distribution, but if you want him to use those strengths then you have to play him to develop some sort of match day chemistry.

 One of the main reasons Farina didnt want to sign Del Piero in the 2nd year was because he didn't fit the high pressing, counter attack game plan that Farina wanted to advocate,  so if that is the case with JVS and Koren then get rid of him.

If JVS is going to play him irregularly then there is no point, and he is delusional to think Koren can track back as he is too old and it is not his strength.

 

Manage your team properly JVS.

 

 

 

[drewmelbcity]

Koren is a turd and was sent here from the future to undermine our championship winning credentials.

Nothing more nothing less.

[Kinnibari]

Hasn't Koren been dropped before with no effect? Or am just getting confused with our perennial lack of communication around injuries?

[NewConvert]

45 minutes ago, playmaker said:

Yes this may be the case, however going back to the SYDFC and Del Piero issue, SYDFC couldn't play a  high pressing counter attack game with the aging striker. So in the 1st year especially, the players took a while to adjust and the team really didnt play well but they kept playing him. They worked out they had to use him as a target man and his disposal was so precise that it opened opportunities for other players with time and space that they never had before, Players continually commented on how they had opportunities in situations that they never thought was possible before his arrival. So what happened, well chemistry happened after an adjustment in tactics.

Now I am not saying that Koren is a Del Piero but you can see the similarities in game style, vision, class and ball distribution, but if you want him to use those strengths then you have to play him to develop some sort of match day chemistry.

 One of the main reasons Farina didnt want to sign Del Piero in the 2nd year was because he didn't fit the high pressing, counter attack game plan that Farina wanted to advocate,  so if that is the case with JVS and Koren then get rid of him.

If JVS is going to play him irregularly then there is no point, and he is delusional to think Koren can track back as he is too old and it is not his strength.

 

Manage your team properly JVS.

 

 

 

I don't know where I read it but it was from people who analyse the games where they claimed that in ADP's 2nd season Farina had to use Abbas as a double to ADP. What that meant was that ADP would receive the ball and release Abbas who would then run with the ball along the wing. When ADP was under pressure it was Abbas that had to do the running for him. It wasn't the high press game that was the problem, it was ADP's lack of running ability that made him a negative.

I suspect that this is also the reason for clubs being wary of bringing in a name but who no longer can run or play their part in the game. Those that can, we probably can't afford.

Now the general consensus on this forum was that Koren was imposed by CFG on Melbourne City. Things got off on the wrong foot when he got injured. Then his position was jeopardised further with the emergence of Mooy. And last weekend was the first time in two seasons that Koren was omitted from the team. In the past he has either been returning from injury and started on the bench. Last season and this season when Mooy has been away on national team duty or injured, Koren has started in his place and had indifferent games. This is why he has so little support on this forum.

[Shahanga]

Oh good grief. Things got off on the wrong foot with Koren when we signed him.

He didn't have the body to cope with the hard Australian grounds or the constitution to run for 90 minutes in the Australian heat.

Basically he was done and should have retired. 

What irks me is the total lack of media scrutiny of his "contribution". Really it's only Andy Harper that's had the balls to question it.

Hes on another level alright- no question about it.

(bait taken, damn it)

[playmaker]

2 hours ago, NewConvert said:

I don't know where I read it but it was from people who analyse the games where they claimed that in ADP's 2nd season Farina had to use Abbas as a double to ADP. What that meant was that ADP would receive the ball and release Abbas who would then run with the ball along the wing. When ADP was under pressure it was Abbas that had to do the running for him. It wasn't the high press game that was the problem, it was ADP's lack of running ability that made him a negative.

I suspect that this is also the reason for clubs being wary of bringing in a name but who no longer can run or play their part in the game. Those that can, we probably can't afford.

Now the general consensus on this forum was that Koren was imposed by CFG on Melbourne City. Things got off on the wrong foot when he got injured. Then his position was jeopardised further with the emergence of Mooy. And last weekend was the first time in two seasons that Koren was omitted from the team. In the past he has either been returning from injury and started on the bench. Last season and this season when Mooy has been away on national team duty or injured, Koren has started in his place and had indifferent games. This is why he has so little support on this forum.

But it was the high pressing counter that was the problem and Farina knew it. Del Piero couldn't carry the ball fast enough on the counter and the biggest criticism of Koren on this forum the same issue and that he doesn't track back.

Also the fact that he especially hasn't had enough game time for the team to understand his positioning and playing style, where Farina tried to adopt a tactic around Del Piero's limitations and kept him on the pitch.

The ability of Mooy to track back and be an effective target is not only a  testament to his fitness and ability, but also to the team chemistry. The younger players look for Mooy because they know he is the best playmaker on the team and will offer the team the best opportunity to score/ or know where they need to go for the Mooy disposal.

This takes pressure off the passer and the receiver, that's what chemistry is.

Now as for Koren, he probably has better vision, and disposal than Mooy yet struggles to get an offensive pass off which only leads to a deficit in team's understanding more than anything.

I have no problem Koren playing a target man type role together with Mooy, I think the link ups would be devastating, but that's all he can play in the right team tactic, not in high pressing counter like we are playing because he can't track back quick enough.

So either play him the above mentioned role or get rid of him.

Edited January 11, 2016 by playmaker

[jw1739]

True, Robi Koren has played some good passes, but every professional footballer does that. I would have said that right from the start he has not demonstrated the tight ball control or quickness to get a pass away that any marquee player should demonstrate. IMO City Football Group either grossly under-estimated what was required for a marquee player to be a success in the A-League, or grossly over-estimated Koren's abilities. Or both. IMO perhaps their biggest mistake was to sign him for two seasons rather than one.

May I say again that just getting rid of him serves no purpose unless we can free up enough cap space with other moves so that we can get another visa player under the cap for the second half of the season. The chances of that diminish with every passing day. By the time any foreign player gets here and ready to play, visa or guest, there will be much less than half the season remaining. "Getting rid" of Koren means paying him out, so unless we can get another good player under the cap quickly then we might as well let Koren finish his time.

[playmaker]

48 minutes ago, jw1739 said:

"Getting rid" of Koren means paying him out, so unless we can get another good player under the cap quickly then we might as well let Koren finish his time.

Well then if we commit to keep him we must play him.

Hope he starts the next 2 weeks with Mooy to give him some game time in games we should win. At least we will have some idea of everything I have mentioned.

I don't think it will destabilise the team seeing that Melling and Garuccio really didn't perform last match, I liked Trifiro though.

See what Van Shit decides anyway.

Edited January 11, 2016 by playmaker

[mus-28]

If Koren starts in "games we should win", we'll probably fucking lose. He's that shit. There are plenty of blokes in this league with great technique and passing ability and shit work rates. Difference between them and Koren is they actually produce when they have the ball. See Carrusca, Hernandez, etc.

 

Koren should be nowhere near the starting XI unless Mooy, Paartalu, Melling, Mauk, Trifiro and Retre are all suddenly unavailable. How anyone can continue to defend him beggars belief.

[playmaker]

We have to play him because we need him to win the league.

Remember this.

[Jacques Le Cube]

41 minutes ago, mus-28 said:

If Koren starts in "games we should win", we'll probably fucking lose. He's that shit.

 

In the final 4 matches of last season, Koren was fully fit and played in his preferred role. He was completely anonymous in each match. We won 1 match and lost the other 3.

Edited January 11, 2016 by Jacques Le Cube

[Deeming]

Cut him lose and use his visa spot for the David Williams replacement.

[playmaker]

Went down to Bundoora and snapped a photo of him training.